A Tale for the Wanderer
by BlueShift5
Summary: There was a time before the creation of the Earth . . . before the emergence of the great gods of men, . . . before Coyote, . . . before even, . . . Jones.
1. Chapter 1

**I do not own any of the characters from Gunnerkrigg Court! They are the property of Tom Siddell!**

 **A/N: There was a time before the creation of the Earth . . . before the emergence of the great gods of men, . . . before Coyote . . . before even, . . . Jones. Rated M for future potential violence.**

 **A Tale for the Wanderer**

 **Chapter 1: The Seed**

 **Prologue:**

There is only silence in space, despite the clashing of matter against matter. Without any atmosphere, or some medium to transmit sound, even the largest of asteroids plummet into the planet's surface with not so much as a whisper. And even if an atmosphere did exist, would it still make a sound, . . . if there is no one around to hear it fall? There was plenty of light and heat to go around, however. Clouds of hot plasma still swirled about, and molten chunks of rock and metal, fell like rain onto the freshly forming surface of the planet below.

In the distance, a tiny sliver of polished metal wove its way through a red-orange sky of dust particles. An experiment was about to take place. Two capsules of some very unique "materials" were readied for drop off, and the ship drew closer towards the turbulent surface of its intended target. Gigantic domes of fiery magma swelled up from below, spattering open like monstrous blisters, releasing trapped gases from deep within the fledgling planet. The sky seemed to be sliced apart by streaking meteors plunging into the molten landscape, sending plumes of material high into what little atmosphere was only now beginning to form. No matter. The ship was merely a probe, specifically designed to withstand the hellish temperatures and conditions found on the surfaces of newly forming planets. It was being controlled remotely from a larger vessel that operated a million miles away, safely outside the planetary accretion zone.

The drone slowed to a hover, the payload was lowered, and two cylinders, being only slightly more dense than the surrounding magma, were released, floating together temporarily as their couplings melted away. At that point, they began to drift apart, the chaotic ocean of molten rock slowly separating them, and soon they began to sink below the surface. The mother-ship, satisfied with another successful mission, recalled the probe, and it began to rise higher and higher, making its way back. This trial experiment was to be repeated in other parts of this nondescript, and rather ordinary galaxy, inside other similar, planet-forming nebula, though the results would not become apparent for several billion years, at the very earliest.

With the probe retrieved, these other worldly sojourners turned their ship towards the next nebula, and, within seconds, had vanished. Little did these visitors know that their investigations would be disrupted in a most violent, and dramatic, fashion.

A rogue planetoid, one-third its size, was bearing down on the young proto-planet, from across the developing star system. It impacted with devastating results, sending unimaginable of tons of matter flying off into space. A ring of debris slowly formed around the new planet, which over time, would accumulate enough material to eventually become the planet's satellite, the Moon.

Of the two experimental cannisters, both were forcibly ejected from the host planet after the monstrous collision. One eventually fell back to the planet's surface, where it once again, began to slip into the magma ocean. The other's fate remains unknown.

 **Wandering Eye**

There was a clearing in the middle of Gillitie Wood where trees and plants would not not grow. None of the forest creatures would pass through it, and if they did, they did not stay long.

At first glance, it was not a particularly forbidding place, merely a flat slab of ancient, andesitic basalt, revealed eons ago by the scouring of ice against its surface. The earliest human inhabitants of the area, recognized the peculiarity of the slab, and erected around it, a wall of huge monoliths to mark its location, not as a place of worship, but as a boundary between this world, and one inhabited by strange spirits. The ancient druids would not enter the ring of stones, and even the conquering Romans, would not cross between, their horses shying away from it. For them, there was something strange there that they could not explain, so therefore, it must be a force for evil. Those humans who sought refuge for the night, were sometimes found the following day babbling, driven mad by something they could not describe.

Ysengrin, the guardian of the forest, said going near it, raised the hackles on his back, and he would not dare enter the stone circle unless ordered to by Coyote. Coyote, himself, was not affected by the unusual rocks, and seemed indifferent, but given his great curiosity, he would sometimes accompany the only entity who ever visited on a regular basis: a beautiful, petite, blonde-haired woman he called, "Wandering Eye."

He liked to tease and play games with her, for he knew her to be straight-forward, and very tolerant of him, if such a word could describe her. And while she appeared on the surface to be a human female, even he was not sure what Wandering Eye really was. He was just as curious about her, as for the reason why she had taken to visiting this forlorn slab of polished rock. She had adopted many names throughout her remarkably long existence, but none persisted. Jones, as she now called herself, would stand in the center of the stone for hours on end, in the dead of night, as if in meditation, or a trance, then abruptly leave with the sunrise, which left him puzzled. Out of boredom, he asked her.

"Do you even know _why_ you come here?"

"This piece of basaltic rock," she said, "is as close to my place of origin on this planet as I have been able to determine. It is even older than I am."

Coyote sprang to his feet at this revelation. "Aha! But you claimed to be as old as the planet itself! Was that an _'exaggeration'_ on your part?"

"Do not try to put words into my mouth, Coyote. This planet was well underway long before I became cognizant. I merely stated I was here during its formation."

"Ah yes yes yes! My memory must be lapsing, like poor Ysengrin's! Aha ha ha ha!" He paused momentarily to consider her words once more. "So, what you are telling me, then, is that this conglomeration of _'cobbles'_ is as close to a 'birth place' as you have on this world? You must have an _emotional_ attachment to this spot!" The trickster enjoyed prodding her, for while Jones insisted she had no emotions, she was far too altruistic to be completely devoid of them. How he would dance to hear her say she was wrong.

It wasn't often he got to talk to her, but he loved hearing her voice, thus tried to get her to talk as much as possible whenever they were together. What she lacked in facial expressions, she made up for in the range and tone of her voice. It was very soft, deep, and sultry most of the time. A voice honed by millions of years living among the various animals of the planet, listening to, and imitating the sounds they made. If one closed their eyes to just listen, they would suspect she was tall, dark-haired, and incredibly sexy looking. They would be wrong of course. But she knew how to use her wonderful vocal cords, to get her point across. If she had been so inclined, she might even have made a talented voice actress.

"Something calls me here, Coyote. Perhaps it is what originally drew me to seek out Gunnerkrigg Court in the first place. It tells me I have a purpose, above and beyond that which I have chosen for myself." Coyote pushed his nose into the cold surface, as if sniffing out a scent.

"I sense nothing. Maybe you are imagining all this! Could it possibly be something incased within the stone?"

"You know I have no capacity for imagination. I have determined that there seems to be a message, very faint, which comes scattered in bits and pieces, like a language, long forgotten. I only discovered this place twenty years ago, and the message repeats itself at intervals, once every four hundred and twelve days, a time when the Moon is at it's closest approach to the Earth. None of it is very clear, and the slightest disruptions in atmospheric conditions breaks it apart further. After all this time, I am no closer to deciphering it."

"And you know for certain that this is some kind of message?"

"I am quite sure. It is not repetitive, like a simple SOS signal might be, but shows signs of variation. It may be responding to a prompt from somewhere out among the stars." The god lay down at her feet, partly bored by her reply, and partly because he didn't understand what she meant.

". . . You've lost me already . . ."

"I do not expect you to understand even the simplest processes of the humans' technology, but I also realize that bringing a team of researchers and their equipment here would be unacceptable to you, and especially Ysengrin, so we are at an impasse at this point."

"True, true! Ysengrin would be most upset to see even a few humans, let alone their machines, in the forest! I do not want to impose on his 'good nature' too often! But you know, Wandering Eye, there are things here older than this piece of rock, older even than the planet itself!"

"And what could that possibly be?"

"Why, the ether, of course! It was here long before you and I came into being, and it will be here long after we are both gone. Between the two of us, perhaps we can discover what you really are!" Coyote, as he was apt to do, wrapped himself around Jones like a great snake, looking her straight in the eye, "What do you say, Wandering Eye? Would you like to find out?"

"What do you have in mind, Coyote?" The trickster god was pleased with himself, and pranced around her merrily. Jones had rarely ever shown anything closely resembling emotions, but she was clearly interested this time.

 **End Chapter 1**

 **A/N: While Gunnerkrigg Court is vaguely placed somewhere in the UK, there is an area in northwestern Scotland called the Lewisian Complex which contains some of the oldest rocks on planet Earth, mainly a metamorphic rock called gneiss. Some of the rocks there have been dated to the early or middle part of the Hadean period, when the Earth was still being bombarded by all manner of extra-terrestrial debris, about 3.8 to 4 billion years ago.**

 **In keeping with the mysterious nature of Gunnerkrigg Court, I have used andesitic basalt instead of the Lewisian gneiss, mostly to disguise where, exactly, the location of GKC is (As of this writing, there is no clue either!). The Giant's Causeway in Ireland is also made of basalt, but it is only about 60 million years old.**

 **It is theorized that a Mars sized object, named (unofficially) Theia, slammed into the proto-Earth some 4.5 billion years ago, and gave us our Moon. The Earth building process had already begun about two hundred million years prior to that event, and this is where my story begins.**

 **Since Tom Siddell, creator of Gunnerkrigg Court, has not given much information regarding Jones' origins (and I don't see any forthcoming in the near future!), this story should probably be considered an AU, written just to satisfy myself and some others who cannot stand the wait! It will be a short story because I don't want to be creating spoilers just in case Mr. Siddell's comes so close to mine (or vice versa) that things become awkward, so don't get your hopes up too high. At this point, I cannot say how long this story will be, so for the time being, suffice to say it will be rather short.**

 **While I love the character, Jones, I can tell right away that writing for her will be difficult, given her seeming lack of emotions. Beautiful, but bland! I figure if I can't give her meaningful facial expressions, then at least she should have an expressive voice (something that would not be so apparent in the comic), and be very knowledgeable of it's uses, subtleties, and implications. She'd likely been around for a couple of billion years before even realizing she had vocal cords, and didn't use them until she ran across other creatures that were capable of making sounds.**

 **Without facial expressions, others (humans) would find her hard to trust, which, no doubt, would make it difficult to live among the people she wished to observe. However, she could possibly make up for the lack of it, with the proper intonations in her voice. As I write this, I try to imagine what she would sound like.**


	2. Chapter 2 A Shocking Admission

**I do not own any of the characters from Gunnerkrigg Court! They are the property of Tom Siddell!**

 **A/N: The ever surprising Jones, and her deep, dark secrets! A somewhat frank dialogue between Jones and Coyote takes place as they wait for the full moon to rise.**

 **A Tale for the Wanderer**

 **Chapter 2: A Shocking Admission**

 **Etherics**

"You are very knowledgeable in the ways of man and nature, therefore I find it unfortunate that you are unable to commune with the ether! Oh, the things you could discover, had you only been so blessed! I dare say you would be even more powerful than myself!"

"I do not seek power, Coyote. It is for the best."

"Do you think so? What makes you say such a thing? You of all people, should be more than willing to give your eye-tooth to uncover the secrets hidden in the etherium!" Jones began to relate a story to illustrate her point.

"My first direct encounter with a modern human, was a single male individual, huddled at the entrance of a rock enclosure. It was during one of the great Ice Ages that this planet has experienced over the eons. He had a raging fire going, to warm himself, and to keep the predators at bay. I had no idea how this creature, who so resembled myself, was able to control a phenomenon that I had previously only observed in nature, in the form of lava, or wild fires initiated by lightning. It attracted me to his campsite, and I approached without regard to a pack of dire wolves, who were keeping their distance from the fire. As they dared not attack him for fear of the flames, they came after me, seeking easier prey. I killed the alpha, and several others before the rest of the pack ran off.

I must have startled the man, who picked up a torch and spear, and began waving them in my face. He was not a concern to me, and I stepped into the center of his fire pit, thinking it was something entirely different, something I had never seen before. After a few minutes, he calmed down, obviously surprised that I was able to walk through the flames unharmed, and motioned for me to sit down next to him. As I was uncertain what he actually was, I returned back to the woods.

The following morning, I returned once more, only to find him skinning the wolf carcasses, and roasting their flesh over his fire."

 _ **"Cannibal!"**_

"Evidently he had not eaten in a number of days, and was quite hungry. I went back out into the forest to gather fruit and seeds for him, that I had seen some of other the forest animals eating. When I returned, he wrapped the wolf's skin around my waist and shoulders, in what seemed to be a gesture of gratitude."

"Well, I certainly hope you wore it proudly!"

"Prior to that, I had never worn any clothing at all."

"You were naked?! _Just like one of the forest creatures?!_ Tell that little gem to Renard, and see if his tongue doesn't fall out of his mouth, and hit the ground!"

"I have no need for clothes, or modesty, even to this day. It is merely a human convention that I must deal with in order to observe and walk among them." Coyote snickered.

"Ah, but we are getting ahead of ourselves, aren't we? Please continue with your _'entertaining'_ story! I want to hear the point of it!" Jones resumed.

"This human had something the animals did not. He had tools, weapons, and the control of fire. I could tell from his eyes, there was an intelligence behind them, a cunning that the other forest animals did not possess. It was much later that I discovered what I was observing, was a cruelty in him, a deceptive nature. At first I did not think much about it because he was the first modern human I had ever come across, and I wished to observe him further."

"Interesting! Were you able to communicate with him?"

"I had learned to imitate the sounds of the forest creatures, so it was surprising to him that I could do so with great accuracy. At first he tried communicating to me like a bird, with whistling and chirping, but that got us nowhere. No doubt the early humans did not have a large vocabulary, so half of his communicative ability was in the form of hand signs and body gestures. As I met other groups of humans, I found these signs and gestures were not consistent as a whole, and their burgeoning language was still full of gaps. They improvised in order to fill those gaps."

"Ah, but I'm interrupting again! Please continue your story!"

"I stayed with him for a short while until I had learned his entire vocabulary. It was a new experience for me. He soon realized that, despite my appearance, I was not at all, like him or any of his people, but he wanted to keep me close to him at all times. After all, I kept the beasts away, and I brought him food. He would take me hunting, and show me which animals to take for food, and which to ignore. Since there was only the two of us, and I had no use for food, we managed to build up a large stockpile of supplies, which attracted even more predators: saber-tooth cats, short-faced cave bears, and the ever present dire wolves. I killed them also, and he took their skins and flesh for consumption. He showed me how he dried and smoked the meat for later use. The predators learned quickly to leave us alone, but the smell of smoking flesh attracted other humans, and soon they began to stop by, asking to trade for the skins and the extra meat. We became the hub of a trade network. This man would cover me in fur, feathers, antlers, and bones, then paint my face and body in ochre, to make me look like a fearsome monster, a frightening deity that only he could control, and the rest of them were cowed by my appearance, not daring to take the food by force. I realized later that he was manipulating me, but I remained by his side to learn more of his nature. One day his former clan, having heard about us, approached, wishing to trade for skins, and dried meat. The man laughed, then pointed out their chieftain to me, _"Kill that one!"_ he said, and I split him open like I would any prey animal, on command."

 _"Oh my!"_

"My introduction into the world of the human species was still in its infancy, and I had not yet learned to distinguish what they considered right and wrong. Killing among the lesser creatures was always a matter of survival, either eating, self-preservation, or competition for reproduction. Humans, through their logic, were developing a need to define good from bad. Increased social interaction demanded it. A rudimentary system of rules and regulations were beginning to form, but it was not yet something uniform among all the human clans.

There was no reason for me to deny his order, but he took over control of his old tribe, and used me as a threat for disobedience. I knew he was using me for his own purposes, but I went along to see why he would do such a thing to his own people, and how far he would go. As I got to know the others, they told me in confidence, that he was a bully, and a liar. This I had already deduced, since many of his actions were contradictory to how he treated me, as opposed to them. The problem now, was how to free them from his control. That was solved one night when one of the younger men clubbed him to death as he slept."

"And you stood by, doing nothing?"

"I wanted to see how they solved their own problems. They soon came after me, but found I was completely immune to their attacks, and was not at all concerned of his death. They stopped trying to kill me. With him gone, they realized I was no threat to them. It seemed to me that humans discovered the most expedient way to settle a dispute was to kill the other person involved."

" _They still do it to this day!_ " Coyote snickered, "Their animal instinct is still strong in them, no matter how much they deny it!"

"I was allowed to remain with them because I was very useful in hunting, and after learning all I could from these people, I left to roam the world once more."

Coyote was silent for a few moments after listening to Jones' story. "Now tell me, Wandering Eye, what is the point of your little, . . . _parable_?"

"Think for a second what I would be like, if all I had learned previously was deception and lies, and I knew nothing else. Couple that with the ability to commune with the ether, and the fact that nothing in this world can harm me. I could become a very real monster, the likes of which this world has never seen."

"Plus you are forever beautiful! What a fine 'monster' you would make!'

"Human society can not survive without a measure of restraint. That is why I have since decided to take on a strictly observational role. I must remain detached from them, or I may possibly kill everyone I see."

"Something prevents you from becoming that _'monster,'_ but what? Perhaps the stone can give us a clue! We should dig it up!"

"You are too impatient, Coyote. Since this is your idea, I would like you to return with me tonight, and see if you can detect any etheric anomalies in the earth that I cannot observe for myself. There will be a full moon out, and you can see for yourself what happens then."

 **Sand**

Jones returned as the full moon began to rise. Coyote appeared shortly after, eager to see what the enigmatic Jones was about to show him. He could see her silhouette outlined in the bright light of the full moon, standing quite still, as if rooted in place. Her physical appearance was quite staid, a characteristic she had adopted soon after her first contact with humans, so as not to appear threatening by making too many sudden movements. He snickered to himself, imagining her to be grunting, and screeching like the other wild animals she was familiar with long before coming face to face with fellow humanoids. She was not so chatty as he, so they both stood next to each other, staring at the stars in the sky.

"Did I ever tell you the story of how I placed the stars . . ."

"Numerous times." She cut him off, abruptly. He sighed, but the boredom crept over him, and shortly, he began to speak once more.

"If I may ask, Wandering Eye, just how many humans, during your sojourn through this world, have you killed? Two, perhaps? Maybe a dozen, at the most?" She turned her head to face him, an intense look he had never witnessed from her before, as if he had touched a nerve.

"By myself?' she returned back to gazing at the stars, "Armies, Coyote, I have slain armies. An entire Persian army of fifty thousand men, still lie buried in the sands of the Sahara, their bodies covered by the wind. Nomadic bands of the Northern Steppes, Viking raiders, Mongol hordes, . . . I killed them all, and left them where they fell."

Coyote's eyes grew the size of dinner plates, and he sprang high into the air, laughing all the while. "You've been a _very_ _naughty girl_! These are surprising revelations, coming from you, Wandering Eye! And you said that without batting an eye! Did you kill this army for angering you in some way?"

"The army was sent to destroy the Temple of Amun in Siwa, but had been side-tracked, following my footprints across the desert instead, intent on capturing me for their amusement. I had learned long ago that sometimes a show of strength would be enough to discourage most humans and wild animals, but this was my first encounter with such a very large group of warriors. Human bodies are rather fragile, compared to my own, and many of them lost a limb trying to subdue me. That only served to anger the rest of them further, and they came at me with their weapons drawn. At that point, there was no reasoning with them, and for the sake of expediency, I was forced to kill. By my own accounting, I killed three-quarters of them, before a sudden sandstorm appeared, and smothered the survivors."

" _Expedient_ again! You learned _that_ lesson well! I wish I could have seen you in action!"

"The desert nomads called me a _'djinn'_ , a dust devil, a demon of the desert, and thereafter, would no longer approach the dunes where the soldiers still lie buried. I would see them watching me in the distance, but never approaching."

"Could you blame those soldiers, though? After marching for days or even weeks through one of the most inhospitable deserts on Earth, to find a beautiful woman wandering alone and unescorted? You must have appeared to them as a godsend, an oasis! If you had told this story to Ysengrin, I'm sure he would hoist you onto his shoulders, and parade you through the forest as a hero!"

"Ysengrin has developed a fondness for young Antimony, and she for him, but otherwise, he holds a biased view of humans, and hates them all. He does not look at me as a human."

"And you, Wandering Eye, did you feel anything at all while killing all those men?"

"I have no regrets, if that is what you are asking. I am not proud of what I did, but neither am I ashamed."

"Did you learn anything from those encounters?"

"There were several options available to me, besides killing them, that I had not considered at the time. I could have hidden myself as soon as I became aware of their presence. Even on open ground or rocky terrain, I could have simply dug a hole, and hid in it, or covered myself with a boulder. I could have run away, because I can run faster than any animal on Earth, but the sand would have hindered my speed . . ."

"Is that so? I've never seen you move faster than a brisk walk!"

"All these years I have never had to, and it is not in my nature to run and hide. No predator could harm me, not even the greatest of the carnivorous dinosaurs. I never ran from any of them, but to prevent my killing humans, avoidance was an option I had never considered. My first choice has always been to reason with them, but that does not always work. The next step would be a show of strength as a deterrent. That might work on a small group, but not necessarily with a large, armed force. Since I do not need to breathe, I could also have pretended to be dead, but I do not think that would stop any of them from trying . . ."

"Trying what?"

"Trying to have sexual intercourse with my 'dead' body." Coyote smiled.

"Are you even capable? I mean, you appear to be a very 'comely' human female, no pun intended," he snickered, "but it seems to _me_ that if you had went along with them, you would have spared about thirty thousand lives! They might have even paid you! Imagine that! Ahahahaha!"

". . . I realize you are just being facetious, Coyote, otherwise I would not have bothered giving you a pertinent response. I could have let them rape me, but I do not think any of them would have found the experience enjoyable."

"No? And why might that be?"

"I require a great deal of lubrication, since I do not produce any of my own, and traveling through the desert causes sand grains to enter into every crevasse."

" _Ouch!_ Hehehe!"

"In retrospect, it would have been better if I had let them lead me away in chains, and waited for a better opportunity to escape."

"Live and learn, I suppose!"

"In those days, women were considered property, to be used and disposed of as the men saw fit. In the interest of fair and equal treatment, I did whatever I could to make them reconsider their actions."

"Even to the point of killing entire armies of them?" he flashed his famous Coyote grin, ear-to-ear.

 _"Yes!"_ she grinned back. The Trickster was taken aback, and the hair on his rump stood up.

"Stop it, Wandering Eye! You know how disturbing that . . . _'smile' . . ._ of yours is! Besides, we don't even know if you're a female or not, or even capable of having se. . ."

Jones raised the corners of her lips at one side, giving the impression of annoyance, "I do know this irrelevant discourse is designed to pry an emotional response from me that I am incapable of, and now I have discovered a way to stop you from your incessant questioning."

" _Really_? Do I detect a note of sarcasm and irritation? There's hope for you yet, Jones! I won't stop until I chip away that stoney facade of your's and reveal your inner self!"

"It is useless. I am incapable of emotional connectivity."

"Four and a half billion years on this world, and you still haven't come up with a better smile than _that_?! _Come on!_ I think you're holding something back!"

"Admittedly, I have not tried hard enough. I find it unnecessary, given my lack of emotions."

"And in spite of it all, there have been many men in your life! What is it, then, that attracts them to you? You're a beautiful woman, Wandering Eye, to be sure, but just think how many more men you could have if you only learned how to smile properly!"

"And, pray tell, what would I do with all of them? They would only serve as a hinderance to my observations."

"There would be just as many females envious of your good looks! Oh what fun I could have, if I looked like you! Hahaha!"

"I recall in some myths about yourself, you turned human in order to marry, . . . men _and_ women." Coyote raised a paw to his chin, scratching it, as if contemplating her words.

"Hmm, I don't seem to remember, . . . but that must have been all in good fun! Hehehe! And how about you? Have you indulged _your_ curiosity to the point of getting involved in the human's ritual of . . . _marriage_? Given your extremely long existence, I can't see how you could possibly have avoided it!"

"I have, in fact, been married many times, some forcibly, other times, marriages of convenience. I have also been a concubine, and a common prostitute. My knowledge of the sexual nature of the human species is considerable. Many of the nobility, kings and princes, have tried to force themselves on me. It never ends well for them."

"You reminded me of the stories where I married human women while disguised as a human male. Have _you_ ever had a _female_ companion with whom you stayed with for the rest of her life?"

"Yes, I have. And on many occasions."

"Are they any different from their male counterparts?"

"In more ways than one." Coyote stared blankly at her.

"I was hoping for a more _detailed_ explanation than that!" he snickered

"I am sure you were, but you are not going to get one from me. The moon will be in the optimum position in two minutes, and the skies are very clear tonight. There will be no interference like there usually is."

Coyote curled himself at her feet, much like a dog or cat might do, and watched as the moon began to loom larger in the sky. Jones looked down at him as he flashed back his broad, and mystical smile.

"Bad dog." she admonished. He was trying to look up her skirt.

 **End Chapter 2**

 **A/N: I originally had Roman legions in place for the Lost Army of Cambyses, but I reconsidered, thinking it was an interesting story, and fit within the limits of what I imagine Jones was capable of doing. An army of 50,000 Persian soldiers marching through the Libyan desert were caught and buried by a monstrous sandstorm (according to Herodotus), and never found until recently (or were they?). So the story goes. The Temple of Amun was not a fortress or anything, and was probably not heavily guarded. To send fifty thousand men to destroy it, seems a bit of an overkill.**

 **Annie also called Coyote "bad dog," after he sniffed her butt! Jones, whenever she is out and about doing Court business, wears skirts below the knees, except when she is with Eglamore. Then they are knee length, or slightly higher. Because I feel Jones has an inherent lack of modesty, and really has no use for undergarments, I've always suspected she is commando. Always. And Coyote exploits this, . . . whenever possible.**


	3. Chapter 3 Not Alone

**I do not own any of the characters from Gunnerkrigg Court. They are the property of Tom Siddell!**

 **A/N: Jones gets her first taste of emotions!**

 **A Tale for the Wanderer**

 **Chapter 3: Not Alone**

 **Moon Light**

A few meandering deer and assorted other animals, remained outside the boundary of the monoliths, and Coyote, not yet having had his dinner, licked his chops as he eyed several small rabbit-like creatures. They scattered as the moon began to rise, shedding it's light on the cold stone surface of the inner sanctum. Coyote sighed, but knew he would have another chance as soon as Jones' vigil was over. His ears pricked up as a barely perceptible vibration emerged from the stones. Jones also became aware, and removed her shoes to better feel the humming below her feet. She seemed to be looking intently at something Coyote himself, could not see.

"What are you looking at, Jonesy? I can feel a buzzing, like the march of thousands of foraging ants, but you appear to be focussed on some 'apparition' that I'm not aware of!"

"Can you not see the flashes of light emerging out from the ground? They reach up to the sky, interweaving, and forming what seems to be a cylindrical shape. But every time a cloud interferes with the moonlight, it vanishes, only to start over again once the cloud passes." The trickster squinted his eyes, drawing closer, but still saw nothing.

"I cannot detect anything from the ether, Wandering Eye. Have you ever tried touching it?" Jones reacted to the suggestion with a surprised look, and Coyote took notice.

"In all the times I having been observing the phenomenon, I have never attempted to place my hand into it. The lattice work of light seemed so fragile that it dispersed with every passing shadow, so I allowed it to continue as long as possible. Even the falling of a leaf through its matrix would disrupt the lights enough to cause a collapse. Since I wanted to observe it further, I try not to interfere with its progress." Coyote snickered.

"You are too cautious, Jones! There is no danger! Nothing in this world can harm you!"

"That is true, but it is not the danger I'm concerned with here. I merely wish to see what the message is about since it apparently involves me, and I cannot do that unless I allow it to come to fruition."

"What nonsense! Just tell me where it is, and I'll poke my nose into it! If there is something here, then I will clear the skies of clouds so there will be no further interference! Agreed?" Jones shook her head.

"That will not be necessary. If this was strictly ether related, you would understand more than I. If it is a technical matter, I would know more than you. The fact that you cannot see the lights at all, and I can, precludes you from the experiment. I should be the one to step into the light matrix." Coyote bowed, and backed away.

"I yield to your superior intellect!"

Coyote stepped out of the way, and Jones walked into the light. Immediately, her eyes lit up, bright, like floodlights, taking aim at the moon. She began to speak in an unintelligible drone, and shortly, her eyes returned to normal. The light matrix she stood inside, morphed into a shape like a radar dish, and a beam of light, coming from the moon this time, struck Jones in the face as she stood in its center. Once more the light faded, and Jones' eyes remained unharmed.

"What was that?!" Coyote cried out.

"An exchange of information. Apparently I have a twin on the moon."

" _A twin?!_ I guess you are not alone after all, eh? Should we bring her here? Have a family reunion? I think we should bring her here!"

"She seemed unusually excited to finally hear from me. We have been apart for a very long time."

"Excited? Does this _'twin'_ of your's have _'emotions'_?"

"I suppose. There has been an exchange of information between us, and I seem to have lost ten grams of body mass. I gained back five grams during the exchange."

"What does that mean?"

"It means that during the four billion years I have wandered this planet, all the information I have collected has a numerical value in mass, amounting to ten grams. What my twin has gathered on the moon, amounts to half of that." Coyote, as was the case when talking science with Jones, remained puzzled.

"Let me get this straight . . . you can _weigh_ your knowledge like a fish on a grocery store scale?!"

"I am as surprised as you are . . ."

"Wait, . . . __ _ **you**_ . . . are _**surprised**_?! _Nothing_ _ever_ _surprises you!_ "

"That does seem rather strange for me to say it. But it is a part of me now, and I understand what it means. My twin must have been given an emotional side that was meant to be shared between the two of us."

"You were both meant to be together, not separated! How interesting! I think I will retrieve her and you both can be one happy family again!"

"There is a cylinder below our feet, imbedded in the stone, in which I was delivered to this planet. It is still operational."

"You are not originally of this world? If we dig it up, it may give up it's secrets!"

"I've a feeling that would not be in the best interest of the forest. The Court is bound to find out, and will do everything in their power to procure it. A war will ensue that you cannot win."

"Yes yes, you are right of course. They would burn the forest down if it was necessary, and most of our citizens will be defenseless before the onslaught. We will do as you say, and leave the machinery buried in the stone! I cannot defend the forest by myself, and Ysengrin was nearly taken down by his old 'army'!"

"I must be going soon, Coyote. I've learned much tonight, and thank you for your assistance. If I can return the favor some time, . . ."

"Well, since you offered, . . . would you mind taking the path through the old ruins along the cliffs of the Annan Gorge? There are some 'obstacles' I would like to get rid of!"

"What is it? A fallen tree? A landslide?"

"Nothing so mundane, but nothing so difficult for one like yourself!"

"I see." she said, and headed down the path Coyote pointed out.

 **Here there be monsters**

Jones made her way down the path Coyote had suggested. It was one she had never used before, skirting along the remnants of the old ruins where the Gillitie Wood denizens first welcomed the humans. Even in the bright light of the full moon, the way was dark, and littered with the bones of forest animals that had either lost their way, or ended up as a meal for the creatures that lived here. She wasn't afraid, though, she could see perfectly well in the dark, and no force on Earth could harm her. Up ahead was what seemed to be a barrier, or a trap, crudely constructed, and dozens of shining eyes all around.

 _"A human!"_ something called out, _"We've not had a human come this way in a very long time!"_

 _"It looks delicious! Fresh and tender, I'll wager!"_ said another.

 _"Shall we roast it on a spit? Or eat it raw?"_ A third creature hopped up on a stump.

 _"Either way is fine by me!"_

Jones soon became aware of dozens more of the shadowy creatures emerging from behind the trees, from piles of stones, and from holes dug into the ground: giant insects, dragon-like animals, moss ogres, tree men with jagged clubs in their hands, stone golems, and hideous, shrieking bird-things. She gave them all a quick glance, taking note of where each one was located.

"I don't suppose I could reason with any of you." They all burst out in laughter.

 _"Not a chance in hell!"_ said a stone-faced giant.

"Are you the leader of this group?" Jones asked.

 _"We have no leader! Not since our 'General' abandoned us for the fire elemental! Now it's first come, first served!"_ The creature extended an arm to grab her, but Jones sidestepped, and tore his arm off at the elbow. A few of the others immediately backed off as the mutant howled in agony. The petite blonde removed her jacket, and placed it on a bush. Then she started to remove the rest of her clothes. This amused the beast men.

 _"There is no need for that, your clothes will be burned off in our fire-pit! Then we will devour you, bones and all! We shall use your clothes as napkins to dab our chins! Ha ha ha ha ha!"_

"I recently acquired these, and I don't want them to get dirty. I'll need them when I get back to the Court."

 _"Well, look at you! Sassy to the very end!"_ a grotesque mutant stepped forward to become the new spokesman, _"You will not_ _live_ _to see the Court again!"_ The group of the drooling monsters rushed her from all sides at once, and Jones, like an angel in the buff, calmly went about doing what needed to be done.

Soon, bark and moss covered limbs began flying in every direction. Half a reptilian's body landed in a bush, and a severed spider's head was thrown with such velocity that it's fangs imbedded into the side of a tree. One beast came at her with what appeared to be a rusty, old battleaxe that had grown to become part of it's arm. She tore it off, swinging the arm about, chopping heads, torsos and legs, like some demented food processor. What few of the monsters remained, ran off terrified, only to be crushed by huge boulders hurled with unerring accuracy. Jones was now covered from head-to-toe in gore and assorted bodily filth. She shook herself like a dog, to remove most of it, then an ultrasonic vibration activated from within her body, removing what remained. Coyote had been watching the fray from a nearby knoll.

"I wanted to see you in action! You did not disappoint me!" The now pristine Jones began dressing herself.

"Yes, I thought as much. Those creatures, . . . what were they?"

"The last of the experiments carried on by the humans who first came to the forest for sanctuary. Many were once human, scientists they called themselves, searching for immortality via the ether. Some of them did find it, but at the expense of their humanity. The outside world branded them sorcerers and witches, and they came here fleeing their inquisitors. We in the forest are indebted to you for getting rid of the last pitiful remnants!"

"Couldn't you have removed them yourself?"

"They taste awful . . ."

"There are scientists that still continue their ether experiments in the Court . . ."

"Where do they keep their _'monsters'_ now, Wandering Eye? I know they still abound in other forms," he smirked, ". . . with metal bodies!"

"The robots?"

"That is why Ysengrin despises the mechanical beings. They harbor the souls of those first settlers, and they sleep within, waiting for the right time to return to life! The Donlan girl, . . . she disturbed the 'sleepers'. They are watching her, to see if she succeeds."

"Then I'll need to keep a closer eye on Katerina as well."

"Keep an eye on that old coot, Headmaster Llanwellyn, also. It is not commonly known among the younger Court scientist, but he is one of the original settlers! See how white and pale, the old _corpse_ has become? If he were to smile for any great length of time, I'm sure his face will fall off! His human body will not last much longer, and he is anxious for Anja's daughter to succeed, so that he may have his ethereal spirit transferred into a more _'durable'_ body!"

"Did they have the technology back then? I don't believe I have witnessed such a thing here."

"Ahahahahahaha! So they keep you in the dark as well? They examine you over and over, trying to discern the secrets locked away in your body, but have thus far failed. As you say, I am not so knowledgeable of human 'technology' enough to hazard a guess, but perhaps if you would take a look into the waters of the Annan river, you might find a device capable of keeping a spirit in place long after death has claimed it's body!" Jones nodded, and slipped into her coat. She seemed different somehow, almost as if she was . . . "happy".

"Perhaps another time, Coyote. I'm due back at the Court in a few hours."

"And what of your sister on the moon?"

"She's been there for four billion years. She can wait a little while longer."

 _"You're such a bad sister!"_ Jones gazed up into the sky at the full moon still hanging there.

"You know, I can almost empathize with you now!"

"I see you're smiling, also. Such a wonderful smile! It makes me want to get . . . _married again!_ " He bobbed his eye brows suggestively at her.

"Bad dog." She smirked this time.

 **The End**

 **A/N: A smiling Jones. What more can you ask for! As I said, a very short story that raises even more questions. Strictly conjectural, I assure you. No more back stories. No more anything!**

 **If you had taken notice, somewhere in the middle of this chapter, Jones begins using contractions (ie: I'm, I've, I'll, doesn't, couldn't, etc.) Like Data in Star Trek: Next Generation, who never used contractions when speaking, until much later in the series.**

 **Thanks for reading!**


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